Non-permanent termination structure for microprobe measurements

ABSTRACT

A structure and method of facilitating testing of an electronic device (device under test or DUT) using a non-permanent and reusable structure to terminate contact pads and contact pin holes on a surface of the DUT.

BACKGROUND

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to testing ofelectronic devices, and more particularly to a structure and method ofterminating contact terminals of an electronic device under test (DUT).

Electronic devices such as integrated circuits (IC) chips and printedcircuit boards, among others, are tested before they are packaged in anelectronic product, such as a computer. Testing is essential todetermine whether an electronic device's electrical characteristicsconform to the specifications to which it was designed to and performsthe function for which it was designed. A wafer prober is often used totest electronic devices. The wafer prober typically includes a set ofmicroscopic contacts or probes that are moved into electrical contactwith appropriate contact terminals on a device under test (DUT).

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment of the invention, a method of terminating oneor more electrical contact locations on an electronic device isprovided. The method may include creating a first electrical contactbetween a first end of a contact element mechanically coupled with aplatform and a surface mount technology (SMT) component; and creating asecond electrical contact between a second end of the contact elementand an electric contact location on an electronic device, wherein anon-conductive vacuum suction membrane adheres to a surface of theelectronic device by suction force to facilitate the second electricalcontact, wherein the non-conductive vacuum suction membrane ismechanically coupled with an end of a non-conductive screw, wherein thescrew has at least a portion housed within the platform.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a method of testing anelectronic device is provided. The method may include creating a firstelectrical contact between a first end of a contact element mechanicallycoupled with a platform and a surface mount technology (SMT) component;creating a second electrical contact between a second end of the contactelement and a first electric contact location on an electronic device,wherein a non-conductive vacuum suction membrane adheres to a surface ofthe electronic device by suction force to facilitate the secondelectrical contact, wherein the non-conductive vacuum suction membraneis mechanically coupled with an end of a non-conductive screw, whereinthe screw has at least a portion housed within the platform; sending anelectrical pulse to a second electric contact location on the electronicdevice; and receiving a reflected response pulse corresponding to thesent electrical pulse.

According to another embodiment, a structure for making electricalcontact with one or more electrical contact locations of an electronicdevice is provided. The structure may include a non-conductive platform;a non-conductive screw having at least a portion housed within theplatform; a non-conductive vacuum suction membrane mechanically coupledwith an end of the screw; and a contact element mechanically coupledwith the platform, wherein a first end of the contact element is inelectrical contact with a surface mount technology (SMT) component, anda second end extends out of a surface of the platform.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description, given by way of example and notintended to limit the invention solely thereto, will best be appreciatedin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which not allstructures may be shown.

FIG. 1A illustrates a side view and FIG. 1B illustrates a front viewrespectively of a terminating device for terminating contact pads of anelectronic device under test (DUT), according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of another embodiment of the terminatingdevice that includes one set of alignment pins aligned with pin holes ona surface of the DUT, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of another embodiment of the terminatingdevice that includes two sets of alignment pins aligned with pin holeson the surface of the DUT, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of another embodiment of the terminatingdevice that includes one set of contact pins aligned with signal pinholes on the surface of the DUT, according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of another embodiment of the terminatingdevice for terminating contact pads of the DUT that excludes a depthgage, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a side view of another embodiment of the terminatingdevice that includes an adjustable depth limiting mechanism, accordingto an embodiment of the invention.

The drawings are not necessarily to scale. The drawings are merelyschematic representations, not intended to portray specific parametersof the invention. The drawings are intended to depict only typicalembodiments of the invention. In the drawings, like numbering representslike elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Detailed embodiments of the claimed structures and methods are disclosedherein; however, it can be understood that the disclosed embodiments aremerely illustrative of the claimed structures and methods that may beembodied in various forms. This invention may, however, be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theexemplary embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these exemplaryembodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete and will fully convey the scope of this invention to thoseskilled in the art.

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth,such as particular structures, components, materials, dimensions,processing steps, and techniques, in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present invention. However, it will be appreciatedby one of ordinary skill of the art that the invention may be practicedwithout these specific details. In other instances, well-knownstructures or processing steps have not been described in detail inorder to avoid obscuring the invention. It will be understood that whenan element as a layer, region, or substrate is referred to as being “on”or “over” another element, it can be directly on the other element orintervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an elementis referred to as being “directly on” or “directly” over anotherelement, there are no intervening elements present. It will also beunderstood that when an element is referred to as being “beneath,”“below,” or “under” another element, it can be directly beneath or underthe other element, or intervening elements may be present. In contrast,when an element is referred to as being “directly beneath” or “directlyunder” another element, there are no intervening elements present.

In the interest of not obscuring the presentation of embodiments of thepresent invention, in the following detailed description, someprocessing steps or operations that are known in the art may have beencombined together for presentation and for illustration purposes and insome instances may have not been described in detail. In otherinstances, some processing steps or operations that are known in the artmay not be described at all. It should be understood that the followingdescription is rather focused on the distinctive features or elements ofvarious embodiments of the present invention.

Electronic devices are tested before they are packaged in a finalproduct, such as a computer. Before testing commences, one or moreelectronic devices to be tested (the device under test or “DUT”) istypically laid on a substrate carrier and clamped fixed on the substratecarrier. A wafer prober may then make electrical contact with contactpads located on the DUT and impact the contact pads with measuringsignals and the reaction to these measuring signals is measured. Thewafer prober includes one or more test probes provided for contactingcontact pads or signal pin holes of the DUT with each test probe's tipaligned to a contact pad location on the DUT. Contemporary probe tipsare small and generally fragile and easily deformed or damaged fromlarge displacement or mechanical jarring.

While a wafer probe's tips are small, the body of the probes and themechanical support required to hold the probe testing setup in place maybe somewhat bulky. This may limit access by the probes of wafer probe toall the contact pads or signal pin holes that may need to be contactedat the same time. For example, only four probes may be capable of beingcontacted by the probes of the wafer probe in any one small area of aDUT when measurements may need to be taken simultaneously from more thanfour ports, for example, eight ports. So, when 8-port measurements needto be taken with a 4-port probe wafer probe set-up, the four unusedports may need to be properly terminated in order to obtain validmeasurements from the four ports being accessed by the probes, withthese ports being in the form of contact pads or contact pin holes.

Consequently, a mechanism capable of terminating the four unused portswhile not obstructing the probe placement for the four ports wheremeasurement are taken may be required. One traditional solution totemporarily terminate the four unused ports is to solder very smallsurface mounted resistors across the four unused ports or pads toprovide the needed termination while measurements are undertaken in theother four ports by the probes of the wafer probe. This approach may betime consuming. In addition, when the solder material is removed afterconclusion of the testing, it may often result in permanent damage tothe ports making it impossible to take measurements in the previouslysoldered ports. This approach may also result in residues being leftover after the solder material has been removed, which may affect theDUT's performance. Additionally, the high temperature associated withsolder removal may cause permanent damage to components of the DUTnearby the area subject to the high temperature. The permanent damagemay not be readily apparent and may manifest later on as operationalissues with DUT after the device gets operated in real-lifeapplications. It may be advantageous to eliminate any destruction to theDUT resulting from such termination procedures.

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to electronicdevices, and more particularly to a structure and method of facilitatingtesting of an electronic device (device under test or DUT) using anon-permanent and reusable structure to properly terminate contact padsand contact pin holes where traditional terminating methods may not workeffectively. Embodiments may not require soldering or drilling-in toprovide properly termination of non-contacted pads and contact pin-holesthereby preventing potential damage to the DUT. Embodiments may be usedto terminate contact pads and contact pin holes in a wide variety ofelectronic devices including integrated circuit (IC) chips, printedcircuit boards (PCBs), glass ceramic package modules and organic packagemodules, among others.

Embodiments may provide a flexible and customizable termination featurethat may be configured to match a particular contact pad spacing on aDUT. Embodiments may attach to any particular localized contact spacingarea on a potentially large DUT without the need for an external meansto provide attaching force. Embodiments may be used on a DUT that mayinclude contact pads in a three dimensional configuration requiringtermination attachments on top, bottom, and sides, and even hiddenbeneath or inside the DUT. Embodiments may also integrate with othertraditional wafer probing structures and methods to work seamlessly inconcert. Embodiments may not be as bulky as traditional terminatingstructures and may be moved from one localized area of the DUT toanother area efficiently. Embodiments may take a lot less time toconnect and disconnect compared with traditional structures and methods.Embodiments may be require minimal tools and may repetitively beconnected and disconnected to several DUTs without damaging the DUTs,the probe tips of a wafer probe or the embodiments. Embodiments mayprovide effective and complete termination required for high frequencyhigh bandwidth signal testing where even a small amount of signalleakage from the terminated contact pads and contact pin holes maydistort test results. Embodiments may also be used with optical signaltesting. While embodiments of the present invention are described belowin termination application environments, they can also be used forproviding a route for transmitting and receiving test signals inapplications where it may be difficult for probes of a wafer probe tomake direct contact with the contact pads and contact pin holes.

One embodiment of the invention may include conductive contact stripsthat may be kept connected to the contact pads on a surface of the DUTusing a temporary suction force that may be provided by a combination ofa non-conductive screw and a non-conducting suction mechanism. Oneembodiment may also include a retention apparatus which may include oneor more alignment pins, instead of or in addition to the temporarysuction force, for providing adequate alignment of the contact stripswith the contact pads of the DUT. One embodiment may include a mainplatform constructed of non-conductive material incorporating one ormore proper SMT components that may connect to the contact pads of theDUT via conductive wire strips. One embodiment may also include acombination of fiducials and features incorporated within its structureto assist in alignment of the contact strips with the contact pads ofthe DUT during placement. One embodiment may also include an additionalscrew mechanism attached to the non-conductive main platform to providean ability to vary the contact pitch of the conductive wires dependingon the unique characteristics of the DUT.

Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below withreference to FIGS. 1-6.

Referring now to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a side view and a front viewillustrating a device 100 used to terminate contact pads and contact pinholes of an electronic device to facilitate microprobe testing is shown.The device 100 may illustrate one embodiment of a microprobe testingtermination device used in testing an electronic device under test (DUT)119.

In one embodiment, the device 100 includes a non-conductive platform101, a non-conductive screw 103 that drives a non-conductive suctionmechanism 109, one or more contact strips 107 each having a bent lowerportion ending at a tip 113 and an upper end connected to one or moresurface mount technology (SMT) device contact terminations (hereinafter“SMT terminations”) 105, and a depth gage 125 that includes a spindle115 and a spring 117.

DUT 119 may represent a device under test. DUT 119 may include a surfacethat may possess a certain degree of planarity to permit suctionmechanism 109 to form an airtight fit with the DUT surface to facilitateproper termination of one or more contact pads 121 of the DUT 119.Contact pads 121 that may require termination to enable microprobes (notshown) to send signals through one or more contact pads (not shown) ofthe DUT 119 and measure the returning signals without unintendedinterferences and signal leakages that may result when contact pads 121are not properly terminated. The contact pads 121 may typically be nolarger than 1 mm on each side. Typical separation between the contactpads 121 may range between approximately 0.1 mm and approximately 2 mm.

The platform 101 includes a channel 111 housing the screw 103 thatcontrols the suction force of the suction mechanism 109. In variousembodiments, the platform 101 may be made from various non-conductivematerials and constructions including single and multi-layer ceramic,resin, or epoxy glass laminate construction. The platform 101 may have athickness varying between approximately 1 mm and approximately 10 mm.Geometry of platform 101 may be customized to correspond to a geometryof the DUT 119 being tested.

Device 100 includes one or more contact strips 107 that may be attachedto a vertical surface (represented by z-axis) of the platform 101. Anupper end of a contact strip 107 may be in electrical contact with oneor more SMT terminations 105 and a lower portion of the contact strip107 may extend below a lower surface of the platform 101, as shown inFIGS. 1A and 1B. The lower portion of the contact strip 107 may be bentto facilitate compression of the contact strip when downward force alongthe z-axis is applied on the contact strip to facilitate adequateelectrical contact between a tip 113 of the contact strip 107 and thecontact pad 121 of a device under test (DUT) 119. In some embodiments,the contact strip 107 may include two or more bends that allow theheight of the contact strip 107 to change due to bending as compressionpressure is applied to it. In one embodiment, the lower portion ofcontact strip 107 may be bent at approximately a sixty degree angle nearthe tip 113 such that the tip 113 extends in a direction generally awayfrom a vertical side of the contact strip 107 and toward the contact pad121 of the DUT 119.

The contact strips 107 may be composed of materials such as Cu, Al, Ni,Pd, Pt, Au, or alloys thereof. In one embodiment, contact strips 107 maybe composed of copper. In one embodiment, contact strip 107 mayrepresent a contact element with a rectangular cross-section or a squarecross-section. In one embodiment, surfaces of the tips 113 may be platedwith a noble metal such as gold, platinum, or palladium to prevent thesurface of tip 113 from oxidizing. Each contact strip 107 may be of alength varying between approximately 1 mm and approximately 10 mm and awidth between approximately 0.5 mm and approximately 1 mm, which maytaper to a width between 50 μm and approximately 250 μm at the tip 113.The width of the contact strip 107 may vary depending on thecharacteristics of the contact pads 121 of the DUT 119 that the contactstrip 107 is to make contact with. The width of the contact strip 107may also be selected to minimize an impedance generated when the contactstrip 107 makes electrical contact with the contact pad 121 of the DUT119. A geometric distribution of the contact strips 107 may correspondto a geometric distribution of contact pads 121 of the DUT 119. This mayallow each contact strip 107, and thereby a corresponding SMTtermination 105, to be brought into electrically-conductive pressurecontact with respective contact pads 121 of the DUT 119. In variousembodiments, tip 113 may represent a sharp end or a blunt end dependingon the DUT application. During testing, the tip 113 may be placed on thecontact pad 121 under an adequate contact pressure. In one embodiment,contact strips 107 may be disposable, being replaced with a new setafter the device 100 has been repeatedly used for testing multiple DUTs.

As stated earlier, the upper end of the contact strip 107 may be inelectrical contact with one or more SMT terminations 105. The SMTtermination 105 may be mounted on an upper surface of the platform 101,as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, and may be in electrical contact with thecontact pad 121 via the contact strip 107. In one embodiment, a SMTtermination 105 may be soldered to the upper end of the contact strip107. The SMT device contact termination 105 may permit electricalcontact between one or more SMT devices (not shown) and the contact pad121. The SMT devices, which may include inductors, resistors andcapacitors, among others, may operate to terminate electricalconnections to contact pads 121 of DUT 119 that the contact strip 107may be in electrical contact with. In one embodiment, the SMT devicesmay represent matched loads that operate to prevent a reflected signalfrom an original signal sent from a test probe (not shown) via a contactpad (not shown) separate from the terminated contact pads 121.

In one embodiment, the SMT devices may be replaced by active signalingdevices, testing devices, or measuring devices. For example, the SMTdevices may include a signal transmitting source and a signal receivingsource. In such embodiments, SMT terminations 105 and contact strips 107may represent a route through which signals can be sent to or receivedfrom the contact pads 121 of the DUT 119.

The screw 103 and the suction mechanism 109 provide a means ofcompressing contact strip 107 to facilitate an adequate level ofelectrical contact between the contact strip 107 and the contact pad 121to accomplish adequate termination of the contacted contact pads, whileprobe testing is undertaken via other non-contacted contact pads (notshown) of the DUT 119. The suction mechanism 109 represents a means forproviding temporary suction force and includes a stiff support member inrigid contact with the screw 103, and an elastically-deformablemembrane. Both the support member and the membrane comprise dielectricmaterial that may be in electrically-insulated relationship with the DUT119 when suction mechanism 109 makes contact with the DUT 119. In oneembodiment, the suction mechanism 109 may be composed of rubber orsimilar materials. The membrane of suction mechanism 109 has a first anda second main face, and is attached to an underside of the supportmember at its first main face. In one embodiment, suction mechanism mayinclude a folded bellow set up. It should be understood that suctionmechanism 109 may be of any shape necessary to adapt to the DUT'sgeometry. The suction cup and screw mechanism may reduce or eliminateelectrical capacitive and inductive effects caused by inadequatecontacts with the contact pads of the DUT.

The screw 103 may be capable of moving up and down within the channel111 of the platform 101 along the z-axis. Turning the screw 103 whilesuction mechanism 109 makes a substantially airtight hermetic seal on asurface of DUT 119 may cause the suction mechanism 109 to pull a vacuum.This in turn may reduce a relative vertical gap along the z-axis betweenthe platform 101 and the surface of the DUT 119 that the suctionmechanism 109 is temporarily attached to. This in turn may cause eachalignment pin 201 to enter a corresponding pin hole 203 present on thesurface of the DUT 219, and the contact strips 107 to make contact withthe contact pad 121 and then bend due to compression pressure resultingin the tip 113 making adequate level of electrical contact with contactpads 121. In one embodiment, in lieu of the screw 103 and the suctionmechanism 109, a clamping means (not shown) may be utilized to apply theneeded compression pressure.

The depth gage 125 operates to detect and measure proper compression ofthe contact strips 107. Depth gage 125 may include a spring 117 and aspindle 115. In one embodiment, the depth gage 125 may represent amicrometer screw gage structure well known in the art. The spindle 115of the depth gage 125 may be movable along a direction perpendicular tothe surface of the platform 101. When the screw 103 is operated to drawplatform 101 closer to the surface of DUT 119 along the z-axis, depthgage 125 may measure movement along the z-axis by the platform 101 andverify that a predetermined compression level suitable for signaltransfer and testing has been reached by contact strip 107.

In one embodiment, one or more visual alignment ports (not shown) may befabricated in the platform 101 and configured to facilitate an opticalalignment of the contact strip 107 with the corresponding contact pad121 of the DUT 119. The visual alignment port may permit viewing of thecontact pad 121 such that the tip 113 of the contact strip 107 may bealigned and positioned directly over the corresponding contact pad 121before the screw 103 is operated to bring the tip 113 in contact withthe corresponding contact pad 121. In one embodiment, the visualalignment port may be covered with transparent material such as glass.In one embodiment, the visual alignment port may just comprise anopening in the platform 101.

In one embodiment, conventional pick and place equipment may be used toaccurately place the DUT that is to be tested on receiver plate (notshown). The receiver plate may include a plurality of wells machined oretched into a top surface. The wells may be large enough so that the DUTcan easily be placed in and removed from the wells, but not so large asto allow significant movement by the DUT once it is placed in the well.The device 100 may then be placed over the DUT and activities associatedwith terminating the contact pads may be commenced.

Device 100 may be advantageous in terminating contact pads compared totraditional approaches in that the platform 101 may be moved relative toDUT without the need for any complicated tools so as to make the contactpads of the DUT may engage the corresponding contact strips while one ormore non-terminated contact pads of the same DUT may be contacted bytest probes to send and receive signals through the non-terminatedcontact pads. After completion of the measurement of signals by theprobes from one set of non-terminated contact pads, the device 100 maybe moved to a different location on the DUT where a different set ofcontact pads may be terminated by the device 100, and the testing bytest probes repeated.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a side view illustrating a device 200 used toterminate contact pads of an electronic device to facilitate microprobetesting is shown. The device 200 may illustrate an alternate embodimentof a microprobe testing termination device used in testing an electronicdevice under test (DUT) 219.

Device 200 may be substantially similar to device 100 depicted in FIGS.1A and 1B except that it may exclude the depth gage 125 and include oneor more optional alignment pins 201. The alignment pins 201 may providemechanical support and facilitate proper alignment of the contact strips107 with the contact pads 121 on a surface of a DUT 219 under test. Eachalignment pin 201 may represent a fine needle protruding from a lowersurface of the platform 101 in a direction parallel to the z-axis with apointed end pointing downwardly to and directly above a pin hole 203 ofthe DUT 219. The alignment pins 201 may be composed of a metal such asCu, Al, Ni, Pd, Pt, Au, or alloys thereof. An alignment pin 201 may fitinto a pin hole 203 located on the surface of DUT 219, with a diameterof the alignment pin 201 being selected such that it may fit snug into acorresponding pin hole 203 located directly it.

Termination of contact pads 121 using device 200 may be performed asfollows. The platform 101 may be placed such that each alignment pin 201is positioned directly above corresponding pin hole 203 on the surfaceof the DUT 219. Then, similar to what was explained with reference withFIGS. 1A and 1B, the screw 103 and the suction mechanism 109 may beoperated such that the suction force exerted by the suction mechanism109 on the surface of DUT 219 results in the platform 101 being pulledcloser to the surface of the DUT 219 to which the suction mechanism 109is temporarily attached to. This in turn may cause each alignment pin201 to enter a corresponding pin hole 203 on the surface of the DUT 219,and the contact strips 107 to make contact with the contact pad 121 andthen bend due to compression pressure resulting in the tip 113 makingadequate level of electrical contact with contact pads 121. It should benoted that the alignment pins 201 may be optional. The device 200 may befabricated such that a geometry of the alignment pins 201 matches ageometry of the pin holes 203 on the surface of the DUT 219.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a side view illustrating a device 300 used toterminate contact pads of an electronic device to facilitate microprobetesting is shown. The device 300 may illustrate an alternate embodimentof a microprobe testing termination device used in testing an electronicdevice under test (DUT) 319.

Device 300 may be substantially similar to device 200 depicted in FIG. 2except that it may include a set of additional alignment pins 301. Theadditional alignment pins 301 may provide additional mechanical supportand facilitate proper alignment of the contact strips 107 with thecontact pads 121 on a surface of a DUT 319 under test. Each additionalalignment pin 301 may be composed of substantially similar material asalignment pins 201. Each additional alignment pin 301 may fit into arespective additional pin hole 303 located on the surface of DUT 319,with a diameter of the additional alignment pin 301 being selected suchthat it may fit snug into a corresponding additional pin hole 303located directly it. The mechanical support from the additionalalignment pin 301 may render non-conductive screw 103 and non-conductivesuction mechanism 109 optional.

Termination of contact pads 121 using device 300 may be performed asfollows. The platform 101 may be placed such that each alignment pin 201and each additional alignment pin 301 is positioned directly above acorresponding pin hole 203 and a corresponding additional pin hole 303,respectively on the surface of the DUT 319. Then, similar to what wasexplained with reference with FIG. 2, the screw 103 and the suctionmechanism 109 may be operated such that the suction force exerted by thesuction mechanism 109 on the surface of DUT 319 results in the platform101 being pulled closer to a surface of the DUT 319 to which the suctionmechanism 109 is temporarily attached to. This in turn may cause thealignment pins 201 and the additional alignment pins 301 to enter acorresponding pin hole 203 and a corresponding additional pin hole 303on the surface of the DUT 319 and the contact strips 107 to make contactwith the contact pad 121 and then bend due to compression pressureresulting in the tip 113 making adequate level of electrical contactwith contact pads 121. It should be noted that the additional alignmentpins 301 may be optional. The device 300 may be fabricated such that ageometry of the additional alignment pins 301 matches a geometry of theadditional pin holes 303 on the surface of the DUT 319.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a side view illustrating a device 400 used toterminate contact pin holes of an electronic device to facilitatemicroprobe testing is shown. The device 400 may illustrate an alternateembodiment of a microprobe testing termination device used in testing anelectronic device under test (DUT) 419.

Device 400 may be substantially similar to device 100 depicted in FIG. 2except that the contact strips 107 may be replaced by contact pins 401.A contact pin 401 may facilitate proper alignment with a signal pin hole405 on a surface of a DUT 419 in addition to facilitating adequateelectrical contact with the signal pin hole 405. Each contact pin 401may represent a fine needle protruding from lower surface of theplatform 101 in a direction parallel to the z-axis with its taperingpointed end pointing downwardly to a corresponding signal pin hole 405on the surface of the DUT 419. The contact pins 401 may be composed ofmaterials substantially similar to that of the contact strips 107 (FIGS.1A and 1B). Each contact pin 401 may fit into a signal pin hole 405located on the surface of DUT 419, with a diameter of the contact pin401 being selected such that it may fit snug into a corresponding signalpin hole 405 located directly it. The tapering portion of each contactpin 401 may have thickness that depends on a final plated inner diameterof a via or other similar structure being tested. In one embodiment,contact pin 401 may represent a contact element with a circularcross-section. Typically the thickness of a contact pin may vary betweenapproximately 0.2 mm thick and approximately 0.3 mm thick. The length ofeach contact pin 401 may be designed to ensure that its tip can maintainadequate electrical contact with a conducting surface within the contactsignal pin holes 405 with application of a predefined force of contactby adjusting the screw 103.

Termination of contact signal pin holes 405 using device 400 may beperformed as follows. The platform 101 may be placed such that a contactpin 401 is positioned directly above a corresponding signal pin hole 405on the surface of the DUT 419. Then, similar to what was explained withreference with FIGS. 1A and 1B, the screw 103 and the suction mechanism109 may be operated such that the suction force exerted by the suctionmechanism 109 on the surface of DUT 419 results in the platform 101being pulled closer to a surface of the DUT 419 to which the suctionmechanism 109 is temporarily attached to. This in turn may cause acontact pin 401 to enter a corresponding signal pin hole 405 on thesurface of the DUT 419 and a tip of the contact pin 401 to make adequatelevel of electrical contact within the corresponding signal pin hole405. The device 400 may be fabricated such that a geometry of thecontact pins 401 matches a geometry of the signal pin holes 405 on thesurface of the DUT 419.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a side view illustrating a device 500 used toterminate contact pads of an electronic device to facilitate microprobetesting is shown. The device 500 may illustrate an alternate embodimentof a microprobe testing termination device used in testing an electronicdevice under test (DUT) 519.

Device 500 may be substantially similar to device 100 depicted in FIGS.1A and 1B except that it may exclude the depth gage 125. Termination ofcontact pads 121 using device 500 may be performed as follows. Theplatform 101 may be placed such that a contact strip 107 is positioneddirectly above and aligned with a corresponding contact pad 121 on asurface of the DUT 519. Then, similar to what was explained withreference with FIGS. 1A and 1B, the screw 103 and the suction mechanism109 may be operated such that the suction force exerted by the suctionmechanism 109 on the surface of DUT 519 results in the platform 101being pulled closer to a surface of the DUT 519 to which the suctionmechanism 109 is temporarily attached to. This in turn may cause thecontact strips 107 to make contact with the contact pad 121 and thenbend due to compression pressure resulting in the tip 113 makingadequate level of electrical contact with contact pads 121. The device500 may be fabricated such that a geometry of the contact strips 107matches a geometry of the contact pads 121 on the surface of the DUT519.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a side view illustrating a device 600 used toterminate contact pads of an electronic device to facilitate microprobetesting is shown. The device 600 may illustrate an alternate embodimentof a microprobe testing termination device used in testing an electronicdevice under test (DUT) 619.

Device 600 may be substantially similar to device 100 depicted in FIGS.1A and 1B except that the depth gage 125 may be replaced with two ormore adjustable depth limiting members 601. In one embodiment, theadjustable depth limiting members 601 may represent cylindricalstructures capable of sliding up and down vertically along the z-axisthrough channels created in the platform 101, and may include a screwmechanism and a spring mechanism (not shown). The adjustable depthlimiting members 601 may operate to maintain a predetermined gap D₆₀₁between a lower surface the platform 101 and an upper surface of the DUT619. The adjustable depth limiting members 601 may limit a compressionlevel of the contact strip 107 and may protect both the contact strip107 and the contact pad 121 from unnecessary stress and damage, whilethe contact strip 107 simultaneously maintains adequate electricalcontact with the contact pad 121. In one embodiment, adjustable depthlimiting members 601 may not be capable of sliding up and downvertically along the z-axis but came fabricated to have a fixed depthD₆₀₁ below the lower surface of the platform 101 to maintain apredetermined vertical clearance along the z-axis between the platform101 and a surface of the DUT 619.

Termination of contact pads 121 using device 600 may be performed asfollows. The platform 101 may be positioned such that a contact strip107 is positioned directly above a corresponding contact pad 121 on asurface of the DUT 619. The adjustable depth limiting members 601 maythen be adjusted using an adjusting mechanism (not shown) to reach apredetermined vertical distance D₆₀₁ along the z-axis between theplatform 101 and a surface of the DUT 619. Then, similar to what wasexplained with reference with FIGS. 1A and 1B, the screw 103 and thesuction mechanism 109 may be operated such that the suction forceexerted by the suction mechanism 109 on the surface of DUT 619 resultsin the platform 101 being pulled closer to a surface of the DUT 619 towhich the suction mechanism 109 is temporarily attached to. This in turnmay cause the contact strips 107 to make contact with the contact pad121 and then bend due to compression pressure resulting in the tip 113making adequate level of electrical contact with contact pads 121. Ifthe screw 103 is adjusted beyond a level whereby the suction forceexerted by the suction mechanism 109 on the surface of DUT 619 attemptsto pull the platform 101 closer to the surface of the DUT 619 than thepredetermined vertical distance D₆₀₁, adjustable depth limiting members601 may prevent a vertical distance along the z-axis between theplatform 101 and a surface of the DUT 619 to reach a level lower thanD₆₀₁. The adjustable depth limiting members 601 may thus never allow thevertical distance along the z-axis between the platform 101 and asurface of the DUT 619 to get lower than the predetermined verticaldistance D₆₀₁. The device 600 may be fabricated such that a geometry ofthe contact strips 107 matches a geometry of the contact pads 121 on thesurface of the DUT 619.

While many examples discussed above relate to terminating contact padsto facilitate microprobe testing, one ordinarily skilled in the artwould readily understand that this invention is broadly applicable toany kind of electrical connection, temporary or permanent, made betweentwo or more devices. Therefore, the above embodiments are only examplesof the invention that can be used and are not intended to limit theenvironments in which the invention can find application.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain theprinciples of the embodiment, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A structure for making electrical contact withone or more electrical contact locations of an electronic device,comprising: a non-conductive platform; a non-conductive screw having atleast a portion housed within the platform; a non-conductive vacuumsuction membrane mechanically coupled with an end of the screw; and acontact element mechanically coupled with the platform, wherein a firstend of the contact element is in electrical contact with a surface mounttechnology (SMT) component, and a second end of the contact elementextends out of a surface of the platform.
 2. The structure of claim 1,wherein the contact element comprises Cu, Al, Ni, Pd, Pt, Au, or alloysthereof.
 3. The structure of claim 1, wherein the second end of thecontact element is capable of bending.
 4. The structure of claim 1,further comprising one or more members protruding from the surface ofthe platform, whereby the one or more members limit bending of thecontact element.
 5. The structure of claim 1, further comprising a depthgage structure movable along a direction perpendicular to the surface ofthe platform, whereby a measurement of movement of the depth gagestructure corresponds to a measurement of bending of the contactelement.
 6. The structure of claim 1, wherein the contact elementcomprises one or more of: a contact strip with one of a rectangularcross-section and a square cross-section; and a contact pin with acircular cross-section.
 7. The structure of claim 1, further comprisingan alignment pin mechanically attached to the platform.
 8. The structureof claim 1, further comprising one or more visual alignment ports in theplatform.
 9. The structure of claim 1, wherein the surface mounttechnology (SMT) component comprises one or more of: a signaltransmitting source and a signal receiving source.